Plasmonic Gold Nanorattles for Cancer Theranostics

ABSTRACT Plasmonic gold nanorattles (AuNRTs), with their distinctive core@void@shell structure, have emerged as a next‐generation platform for cancer nanotheranostics. Their hollow and porous morphology not only red‐shifts localized surface plasmon resonance into the biologically transparent near infrared‐I (NIR‐I) and near infrared‐II (NIR‐II) windows, but also enhances photothermal conversion efficiency, electromagnetic hot‐spot generation, and drug‐loading capacity. These multifunctional features allow AuNRTs to integrate high‐contrast bioimaging modalities with plasmonic photothermal therapy and synergistic chemo‐photothermal treatment within a single nanostructure. Recent advances highlight diverse shape‐ and composition‐controlled designs as well as multimetallic yolk–shell hybrids (Pd, Pt, Cu 2−x S), which demonstrate good performance in in vitro and in vivo tumor models. Despite these advances, challenges including antibody conjugation efficiency, toxicity from surfactant, limited penetration depth of NIR irradiation, and scalability barriers continue to impede clinical translation. Emerging solutions such as synthesis strategies with biocompatible polymers, site‐specific bioconjugation, and simplified “one‐for‐all” multifunctional platforms hold promise for overcoming these limitations. This review critically summarizes progress in design, properties, and applications of plasmonic Au‐NRTs for cancer theranostics, while outlining translational challenges and future opportunities. By bridging diagnostics and therapeutics into a single tunable platform, AuNRTs represent a powerful step toward precision therapy and image‐guided cancer management.